1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to methods of identification and more particularly to identification using handwriting analysis.
2. Background Information
Biometrics is the statistical study of biological phenomenon. Biometrics can be used to automatically identify a person based on physiological or behavioral characteristics. Various biometrics used to identify an individual can include: finger prints, voice print or pattern, retinal image, DNA, etc. There are many potential uses for biometrics. For example, biometric identification can be used to take the place of a personal identification number (PIN) for use with automated teller machines. Biometrics can also be used to help identify a person who is not physically present. For example, finger prints are commonly used to identify individuals involved in crime. Such an individual is typically not present when his or her finger prints are collected from an item or items at a crime scene.
Biometric identification can also be used to fight different types of fraud. One type of fraud is check fraud. More than 500 million checks are forged annually. Check fraud and counterfeiting are among the fastest-growing problems affecting the nation's financial system, producing estimated annual losses of $10 billion. It is estimated that losses from check fraud will grow by 2.5% annually in the coming years. While fingerprints may in some cases be used to identify a person or persons involved in check fraud, in many cases a fraudulent check will not have any finger prints that can be used for identification. Thus, conventional biometric identification techniques are not necessarily easily adaptable to fraud detection.
Biometric handwriting identification can be useful for identification in cases of check fraud, exam cheating, and other cases when handwriting samples are available. Biometric handwriting identification, however, can be time consuming when performed by a person. Additionally, biometric handwriting identification using current automated methods are typically limited.